[February 06, 2017]LINCOLN
- It may be winter now, but it is the time to plan for summer break,
and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) wants to make sure
every child enjoys access to nutritious meals when school is out.
School districts, local government entities, and nonprofits are
encouraged to become a Summer Meals sponsor and/or site to provide
free, healthy meals and snacks to low-income children.

An information session on how to participate in the Summer Meals
program is set for February 8, starting at 10 a.m. at the Lincoln
Elementary School District, 304 Eighth Street, Lincoln. Staff from
ISBE will be on hand to provide information on resources available
to organizations wishing to feed eligible children during the summer
months.

Summer Meals is a U.S. Department of Agriculture federally-funded
program administered by ISBE’s Nutrition and Wellness Division and
also known as the Summer Food Service Program.

In the past few years, Illinois program sites served meals to a
little over 107,000 children or just over 14 percent of the almost
726,000 children who received free or reduced-priced meals. The
number indicates that 15 out of every 100 eligible children received
a meal over the summer months.